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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · last · spell · pass · drill · ball · foot · clip

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — to go on
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — final
  6. drill — the tool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. drill — army training
  11. last — finally
  12. current — of water
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pass — a permit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spell — letters
  17. current — electric
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — magic
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com